CPJ calls for UK to investigate Munadi death in rescue

We last wrote to you on
November 5 to urge you to authorize the Ministry of Defence to carry out an
investigation into the September 9, 2009, military operation that rescued
British-Irish journalist and New York
Times correspondent Stephen
Farrell and unfortunately led to the death of his Afghan colleague, Sultan Munadi. In our November 5
letter, we offered our condolences on the loss of British Parachute Regiment
Cpl. John Harrison, but also pointed out that many questions about the
operation remain unanswered. Among them is whether Munadi’s rescue was a
central objective, what circumstances existed when he was killed, and why his
remains were left behind after British forces withdrew.

On November 12, we received a letter from your office noting
that our request had been referred to the Ministry of Defence. On January 21,
we received by mail a reply from the Ministry of Defence dated December 30. The letter,
which was unsigned, notes, “I can assure you that the decision to mount a
military hostage rescue operation is never taken lightly. In this case the
rescue operation was undertaken on the grounds that it represented the best
chance of ensuring the safe release of the hostages, both Sultan Munadi and Stephen
Farrell.”

The letter also notes that “Mr Farrell’s account of 10
September makes it clear that he confirmed that Mr Munadi had been killed.”

While we do not dispute the decision to carry out the rescue
operation, and recognize the courage of the British forces who participated, we
believe the December 30 letter is not responsive to our concerns, namely
whether Munadi’s rescue was a central objective.

Furthermore, the suggestion that Farrell confirmed the death
of Munadi is at odds with our understanding of events. In a follow-up exchange
with CPJ, Farrell reiterated that he never confirmed to British forces that
Munadi had been killed. To the contrary, he repeatedly asked British soldiers
for information about his colleague.

“As they [British soldiers] took me away, from the second I
came out of the ditch I was constantly, repeatedly, asking the soldiers if they
had any news about Sultan, I was asking them if they knew what had happened to
him, I was asking them was he dead or alive, and was he being brought out with
me on the helicopters. I got no solid answers.”

We are writing to you again, because we are not satisfied by
the response that we received from the Ministry of Defence. Our concerns have
not been addressed, and to the contrary, the suggestion that Farrell confirmed
that Munadi had been killed raises new questions because this version is at
variance with Farrell’s own detailed account.

For this reason, we are asking once again that you
personally authorize an inquiry and not refer our letter to the Ministry of
Defence. The findings of the inquiry should be made public. It is our view that
only an inquiry of this nature will end the lingering questions, offer solace
to Munadi’s family and colleagues, and provide assurance to Afghan journalists
that their lives are valued just as highly as those of their foreign
colleagues.

In his note to us, Farrell concluded:

“I am all too aware that not only did Sultan die that night,
but also one of my rescuers, Corporal John Harrison. He should not be forgotten
in this. He died trying to save our lives, and succeeded in saving mine. I saw
him being carried on a stretcher to the helicopters which flew me to safety. I
will always be grateful to Corporal Harrison and his colleagues for rescuing
me. Five months later, not a day goes by when I don’t think about him, and
Sultan, and the other Afghans killed. Not least the scores who died in the NATO
bombing raid which brought us to Kunduz in the first place.

“It is wrenching that those deaths led to more deaths. It is
even more wrenching that the exact circumstances of Sultan’s death should
continue to be shrouded in claim and counter claim, providing a chance for the
Taliban and other propagandists to fill the vacuum with conspiracy theories,
lies, and rumors.

“I have provided all the answers I can, and I hope that
others who are in a better position to fill in the gaps will do so, to give
Sultan's family, other Afghan journalists and all his colleagues and friends
the answers they are still looking for.”

For your reference, we are attaching our November 30 letter
to you, the December 30 response from the Ministry of Defence, and the detailed
account that we received from Stephen Farrell when we queried him about the
Ministry of Defence’s assertion that he confirmed Munadi’s death.

We very much appreciate your attention to this matter, and
look forward to your response.